Who’s the cleverest caliph, the smartest sheikh, the brightest bind??! With questions designed to sort the expat worker from the cowpat shirker… Who will be Amman’s number one team?!

This was the creative tagline we used to recruit people to the epic Quiz Night we held last night to benefit the Summer Camp where I have started to volunteer (see: Face Painting Is My New Jam!). We created the Facebook invitation on Monday and by Tuesday night we were at capacity with over 40 people signed up. There were 6 teams of 7 people using all of their expat and Jordanian brainpower to compete fiercely for the winners title and prize of 4 bottles of champaign. Categories included geography, history, music, general knowledge, current (or actually not so current) affairs, etc.

Quiz night was held at my friend Mark's house which just so happens to be above the Uruguayan Embassy

. It cost 15 JD to play and got attendees cheap drinks at the bar and delicious traditional Jordanian cuisine cooked by the women of the camp. We hung pictures around the terrace that the children at camp had drawn and created picture boxes on each table with pictures of summer campers so attendees had an idea of who they were helping. I think everyone had a great time and enjoyed the friendly competition and contributing to a worthy cause.

As the night was winding down (at 3AM) I had a Jordanian approach me about marketing and selling the children's artwork in Japan. He said he has a client that would absolutely be interested. I think this may become a project for Clare (my co-worker at JRF who has so kindly introduced me to most of my friends in Amman and this volunteer opportunity) and I...since she was already thinking of the idea to turn the pictures in to some sort of stationary/cards.

Thanks to the team work of everyone involved I know we raised well over 1,000 JD! It feels great to have been a part of this fundraiser.

p.s. Many of you may know there is a protest scheduled for today in Amman. It seems like it is going to be held at the circle where I taxi to every day to be picked up by my supervisor for work. While it has only been two weeks I have never felt unsafe or any anti-American sentiment. Quite the opposite taxi drivers and other Jordanians say they like Americans and many have studied in America, have family there or hope to travel there one day. Anyways, (DAD) you will be happy to know I am leaving the city in a few hours to go up north to a Zumot Sama Vineyard (http://www.zumot-wines.com/visitZumot.php) with a pool and BBQ to celebrate Clare's birthday with a bunch of friends.